We recently celebrated a major victory for clean air and public health in Barrio Logan. We applaud the City of San Diego Environment Committee, led by David Alvarez, for unanimously passing the Barrio Logan Clean Air and Safe Streets Ordinance.
As it moves through the city review process, allow us to expain to you how this ordinance came to be and why it matters to our community.
The presence of heavy-duty truck traffic in Barrio Logan has become commonplace in our community and has negatively affected our quality of life for many years. Perkins Elementary School, for example, faces daily exposure to harmful air emissions from diesel trucks, noise and safety concerns.
EHC recommends adoption of the Barrio Logan Clean Air and Safe Streets Ordinance to ensure that Barrio Logan residents can live, work and play in a safe environment.
Current policy to address heavy-duty vehicle traffic in Barrio Logan has been helpful but now warrants an update. Right now, the policy does not prohibit truck traffic on all of the streets necessary, especially near schools, senior residential living centers, and residential uses, nor does it address enforcement through fines and/or penalties. Our community has understood the need to amend this in order to mitigate the ever-increasing volume of heavy-duty vehicle traffic in the region.
Boston Avenue between 28th and 32nd Street is zoned as exclusively residential and is the only such zone in Barrio Logan. Residents of Boston Avenue participated in community research by conducting truck surveys, which yielded striking results -- including the documentation of up to 59 heavy-duty vehicles within a two-hour period.
The community research demonstrates the different sources of heavy-duty vehicles entering and exiting through Barrio Logan. Air samples taken during these surveys also indicate spikes in ultra-fine particulate matter -- a chemical found in diesel exhaust that is linked to serious health effects -- as trucks drove by the survey area.
Key Findings from other Port Cities:
- Oakland, Long Beach, and Los Angeles establish truck routes in their municipal codes
- These cities also include an extensive list of prohibited streets
- Truck routes maps are readily available via city website (interactive maps, pdf, etc.)
The Barrio Logan Clean Air and Safe Streets Ordinance will provide ways to mitigate the impacts of diesel exhaust in and around our community, making it a healthier and safer neighborhood for all people to live, work and play.
Trucks serving local businesses are excluded from these recommendations:
- Creation and implementation of a truck route in Barrio Logan
- Amendment of the Commercial Vehicle Prohibition Resolution to include all streets not on the truck route
- Clear path for enforcement including fines and penalties for those violating the truck route
For questions regarding the Barrio Logan Clean Air and Safe Streets Ordinance, please contact Jerry at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..